Omaha daily bee., 1887-03-20
The South and Education.

Inc recent aCtlOn OF the legislature OF
Tennessee. in passing bill increasing
the amount of the permanent fund avail
able for school purposes from So, 00O.0 900
to 81, ,OOO, 900, thereby much more than
doubling the annual contribution of the
state to public education, has invited at.
tention and commentator as an exam
pie Of the growing interest in the south
with respect to the education of the
masses. 1t will be gratifying to find the
example generally emulated. 1t Is per.
haps not to be expected that all of the
other southern states can increase their
contributions to public education to the
generous extent that Tennessee proposes
That state has been growing rapidly in
material wealth of late years, and the
foundations Of her prosperity are strong
and substantial, assuring steady pro-
gress and accumulation of wealth. But
there are several other states that are
moving vigorously along the road of
material advancement which can safely
enlarge their educational allowances by
liberal additions, and all OF them can do
more than they are now dong in this
direction.
1t is time that the south experienced an
awakening Of interest and quickenIng
of zeal on this subject. In respect to no
other important consideration affecting
their welfare have the people of that Sec
ton shown greater indifference in the
past. The consequence is degree and
extent Of illiteracy that has been the
shame of the nation and an especial
stigma upon the southern people. Ten
nessee does not present the worst record,
but in that state, according to the census
of 1880, there were 294,375 of ten years
and over who could not read. and
4l0, ,723 who could not write, the total
population being 1,O62,23O. Georgia
was in a much worse condition, having a
total of 068, 600 who either could not read
or could not write, with population
about the same as that of Tennessee,
while the record of illiteracy in the caya-
lious, in Alabama, in Mississippi and in
| Virginia was not much below that OF
| Georgia relatively to population. Even
Kentucky had 15S,l 1886 persons of ten
| years and over who could not read, and
34s, ,392 who could not write, and Louisl-
ana had an equal number IN a population
but little more than half that of Ken
lucky. 1t may be interesting to note.
also, the stinted provision which some OF
these states have made for public educa-
ton, as shown by the report of the COM
missioner of education for 1SS3S4. The
total expenditures of Georgia for the
year covered by this report amounted to
$6l3, 647, and of Louisiana, $468, $50, being
together nearly $7OO, 900 less than was ex
pended IN the same year by the little
state of Connecticut, the total of whose
illiterates in 1880 was in round numbers
$4,000, and nearly $500, 600 less than Ne
braska expended. whose illiterates at the
date of the last national census numbered
only fraction over 10000. In short, the
aggregate expenditures for public schools
of ali the southern states, during the
year covered by the report from which
these figures are taken. did not equal BY
nearly three million dollars the total ex.
penditures IN the same time Of the two
states of Ohio and Illinois, and exceeded
only by very small amount the aggre
gate of those of Ohio ana Massachusetts,
In the years that l have interviewed
since these records were made up there
has unquestionably been educationa
progress in the south. but It has not kep
pace with the advance In other sections,
but has 1t been entirely due to improved
interest on the part of the south
ern people in behalf of publ.
education. In very large measure IL ha
been promoted and stimulated BY tn
self-sacrficing efforts of northern educa
tors and the generosity Of northern pook
ets. But the conditions in this direction